The 13-year anniversary of the Roberto Alomar trade passed earlier this month. In what seems like a lifetime ago, it is amazing that it has now been 13 years since that trade was consummated on December 11, 2001. It is a trade that signaled a dramatic change in the direction of the franchise and was the opening salvo for what has since become a 13-year war between the fans and ownership on the true intentions of that new direction. The IBI's Tony Lastoria reminisces...

Have you finished your holiday shopping yet? In this MLB News and Notes segment, the IBI's Andrew Zajac will be giving occasional reports on the latest news and rumors throughout the MLB. Today's piece focuses on the Padres stockpiling bats, the Giants finding a third baseman, the Yankees making a trade, and more.

The Indians made a surprising decision with the starting rotation this week signing Gavin Floyd to a one-year deal, guaranteeing him a rotation spot, and pushing one Danny Salazar or T.J. House out of the rotation. The IBI's Tony Lastoria tries to make sense of it all and explains the rationale behind adding a veteran starter like Floyd to mix in with a rotation that has so much promise.

Happy Friday! In this MLB News and Notes segment, the IBI's Andrew Zajac will be giving occasional reports on the latest news and rumors throughout the MLB. Today's piece focuses on the Athletics trading away another All-Star player, the Royals ink another starter, the Red Sox looking to trade Allen Craig, and more.

The AL Central has been one of the most predictable, uncompetitive divisions in the majors for years. There always seems to be a tight race at the top, as well as a legitimate contender who stands alone. Next season appears to be different. The AL Central as a whole has greatly improved in recent weeks, and with the conclusion of the Winter Meetings the gap between teams in the division appears to have shrunk. So with the offseason in full swing, how does each team stack up piece-by-piece? The IBI's Anthony Kaylor ranks the rotations...

This past season the Indians had back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in 13 years, Corey Kluber won the AL Cy Young award and Michael Brantley finished third in the MVP voting. While it was a better season than most will admit, IBI newcomer Len Kehoe digs deep to find all sorts of interesting stats and nuggets to show how good of a season 2014 was for the Indians...

The Indians struck again on Tuesday making 31-year old pitcher Gavin Floyd their second significant offseason acquisition. While the addition of Floyd means that the Indians likely will have to send a good starter to Triple-A Columbus to start the season, the IBI's Graydon Fox believes it is a good thing and that the Indians starting pitching depth should provide them options.

With the signing of Gavin Floyd on Tuesday, Indians GM Chris Antonetti confirmed to the media that four of the five spots in the starting rotation are locked up with Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco, and Floyd (in no specific order). That leaves one final spot left in the rotation. IBI newcomer Josh Poloha talks about the four candidates for the final spot and picks the one he thinks is the best fit right now.

The Major League Baseball offseason continues to surprise as yet another big deal appears to be happening with Wil Myers changing location from the east coast to the west coast. The IBI's Tony Lastoria provides the details on that potential deal plus all the other news and notes from Tuesday...

The Cleveland Indians have signed free agent right-handed pitcher Gavin Floyd to a one-year $4 million deal for the 2015 season. The deal also includes an additional $6 million in performance bonuses tied to the number or starts he makes and innings he pitches next season. The IBI's Tony Lastoria shares the details...

The popular approach in Cleveland these days is to ridicule the Indians for their lack of activity this offseason, but if you step back and look where this team is now compared to two years ago at this time it is amazing the turnaround they have enjoyed. The IBI's Tony Lastoria takes a look at the key players in their turnaround, manages expectations with Jose Ramirez and Jason Kipnis, talks about a sleeper minor league signing and more.

Getting the itch for Spring Training yet? In this MLB News and Notes segment, the IBI's Andrew Zajac will be giving occasional reports on the latest news and rumors throughout the MLB. Today's piece focuses on the Yankees re-signing Chase Headley, the Royals making another splash in free agency, the Dodgers make a risky signing, and more.

It’s not really a big issue at the moment, but the Indians have a very interesting battle brewing among three players for two spots in the middle infield. While Jose Ramirez and Jason Kipnis are set to open the 2015 season as the Indians keystone combination, top prospect Francisco Lindor is expected to change all of that a month or two into the season. The IBI's Tony Lastoria takes a look at the three and how they fit into things at the moment...

The Cleveland Indians today announced they have signed free agents catcher Brett Hayes, outfielder Destin Hood, catcher Adam Moore and first baseman/outfielder Jerry Sands to minor league contracts with non-roster invitations to Major League camp.

The annual Major League Baseball Winter Meetings took place this offseason in San Diego last week and most of the biggest moves just happened to be made inside the American League Central division. In what was already a competitive division in 2014 in which three of the five teams finished eight games above .500 or better, all five teams made moves to better themselves in 2015 and beyond. The IBIs Kevin Sledz takes a look at each team and what they did in the past week…

One of the busiest Winter Meetings in the history of the league-wide get together has come and gone, but for the Indians, the flurry of activity may have made the trip to the road to the top of the AL Central that much more difficult. While they might have started things off with a bang acquiring Brandon Moss, the Indians were rather quiet for the rest of the meetings while the rest of the AL Central kept incredibly busy. The IBI's Hayden Grove looks at the current lineups for all of the AL Central teams and ranks them.

It's finally the weekend! Happy Saturday! In this MLB News and Notes segment, the IBI's Andrew Zajac will be giving occasional reports on the latest news and rumors throughout the MLB. Today's piece focuses on the Pirates inking Francisco Liriano, another closer is set to hang up his cleats, the Astros sign a pair of 'pen arms, and more.

The Winter Meetings have officially ended! Who came out on top? In this MLB News and Notes segment, the IBI's Andrew Zajac will be giving occasional reports on the latest news and rumors throughout the MLB. Today's piece focuses on Matt Kemp heading to San Diego, Yoenis Cespedes landing in Detroit, Matt Latos being traded to the Marlins, and more!

The Winter Meetings are over. All of the teams have checked out of their hotel rooms, boarded their flights and disbanded to all of their home cities across the country. But what a wild final 24-48 hours it was. The IBI's Tony Lastoria notes the Indians silence during all of that activity and explains why they don't have a lot of needs, what they may do going forward, talks about the Rule 5 Draft results and more.

Things were much busier in San Diego on Wednesday at the winter meetings (and the day is still not over) as Jon Lester’s deal with the Cubs got things kick started again with signings, trades and rumors. The Indians have not made any moves since the Brandon Moss pickup on Monday, but the IBI's Tony Lastoria notes that their name popped up in a few interesting rumors, two of which for outfielder Alex Rios and lefty starter Brett Anderson.

Available IBI Books

The 2014 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!